Denver Broncos (9-7)

2006 season: 9-7
Head Coach: Mike Shanahan
Offensive Coordinator: Rick Dennison
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Slowik
Pro-Bowl: Champ Bailey(CB), Al Wilson(ILB) and John Lynch(S)

Offense

The Denver Broncos offense was average yet again this season ranking 21st overall and averaging 19.9 points per game. The Broncos running game was great much like it has been for the last decade, ranking 8th overall and gaining 134.5 per game. Now the passing game on the other hand was in the bottom third in the league, the Broncos averaged just 174.9 passing yards per game. Part of that was the quarterback switch a little over midway through the season. Denver hasn't been satisfied with veteran Jake Plummer for a few years now and after throwing for 1,994 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions they finally pulled the plug and handed the job over to rookie quarterback Jay Cutler. In the five games Cutler started last season he threw for 1,001 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 touchdowns. And his quarterback rating was 88.5 oppose to the 68.8 Plummer put up. Mike Shanahan proved yet again that they can put any runningback in their system and have him rush for 1,000 yards. Tatum Bell rushed for 1,025 yards and 2 touchdowns. His backup, Mike Bell, rushed for 677 and an impressive 8 rushing touchdowns. One of the biggest problems on the Broncos offense was the depth at wide receiver, or lack there of. Besides Javon Walker there wasn't much left. Rod Smith is great but his career is winding down so he's just not the player he used to be. They have Brandon Marshall who has a lot of talent and the Broncos love him, they feel he can be very good soon. Walker caught 69 balls for 1,084 yards and 8 touchdowns. Like I said Smith is in the decline and it's proven by his numbers, just 52 receptions, 512 yards and 3 touchdowns. It really seemed like rookie tight end, Tony Scheffler, didn't start playing well till Cutler took over. Scheffler quickly became Cutler's number one target and he caught 18 balls for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Denver Broncos had to deal with major tragedies on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On offense, runningback Damien Nash suddenly collapsed at a benefit for his brother during the offseason and he sadly died. He was just 24 years old.

Defense

The Denver Broncos defense at the beginning of the season was one of the best we've seen in sometime. The way they completely dominated teams including the Ravens and Patriots to name a couple was amazing. They gave up just 44 points in the first 6 games including 7 or less in 5 of the 6 games(St.Louis scored 18 points in the first game of the season, all field goals). They did falter towards the end of the season, but they were still able to rank 14th overall. Against the run they ranked 12th, they gave up 113.3 yards and against the pass they ranked 21st allowing 212.9 per game. Now it should be mentioned about 190 of those passing yards were deliberately thrown to the opposite side of the field of Champ Bailey. The biggest reason why the Broncos missed out of the playoffs was a combination of injuries and inconsistency on both offense and defense. Al Wilson led the team in tackles last season with 101. He also added 1 sack and 4 passes defended. The Broncos are in a hurry to get rid of the star linebacker whether by trade or releasing. According to league sources a deal was in place to ship him to the Giants but it fell through. There are a lot of teams in the sweepstakes for him and he is likely to command at least a 3rd round draft choice. Champ Bailey came in second in voting in the defensive player of the year and he had one of the best seasons of his career getting career highs in tackles and interceptions. Bailey had 85 tackles, 10 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 11 passes defended and recovered 1 fumble. Despite playing in only 13 games, rookie defensive end, Elvis Dumervil led the team in sacks with 8.5. He had 17 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries. Like I had mentioned earlier the Broncos took a significant hit on their defense as a result to another tragedy. While in a car with teammate Javon Walker, Darrent Williams was shot and killed. Williams was a rising star in the NFL and having the best season of his career when he was murdered. He had 86 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries and 5 passes defended.

Special Teams

The Broncos special teams were decent overall. Their place kicking was very good. Long time Bronco, Jason Elam had the best season of his career hitting an outstanding 93.1% of his field goals including 27-29. Paul Ernster wasn't good in his first season as Denver's starting punter. He had an average of 41.7 per punt, 7 touchbacks and 23 punts inside the the 20 yard line. He ranked 29th out of a total of 32 punters. Denver's return game wasn't much better, they couldn't settle on a kick return and had 2 different players gain over 400 yards. Brian Clark had 512 yards and Quincy Morgan had 423 yards. Slain corner back, Darrent Williams served as the team's punt returner and gained 206 yards and an average of 8.2 per return.

Draft Notes

The Denver Broncos hold the 21st overall selection in this year's draft and it looks like they will use that pick to fill their need for an impact pass rusher. Their biggest need is adding depth at a number of positions. Such as defensive end, defensive tackle, corner back, wide receiver, runningback and linebacker. After trading for corner back, Dre' Bly, they filled a big whole after the tragic death of Darrent Williams but they still might look to add some youth in the later rounds. With the apparent trade of Al Wilson it might leave a gaping hole on their defense that must be filled. Even though the Broncos do have a good nucleus of solid defensive ends they don't really have an impact pass rusher, Dumervil may be that guy but he has yet to prove he can be an every down type player. And depth at defensive tackle and wide receiver is non-existent right now.

Positions that must be filled during this year's draft.

1. Wide Receiver
2. Defensive End
3. Safety
4. Defensive Tackle
5. Corner Back

WR:

Although the Denver Broncos will likely use their first round pick on a defensive end, I really feel their number one need is at wide receiver. They have Javon Walker who is great but besides him their is nothing in terms of depth. Rod Smith is getting older and his production was in a steady decline this season and Brandon Marshall has talent but he has yet to prove that he can be a starter in the NFL. But with that said, the Broncos will probably wait till the third round to fill this need. There is a lot of great talent this year at WR so the production from the 1st to the 3rd isn't that drastic. Look for Jason Hill out of Washington State, Paul Williams out of Fresno State and Jacoby Jones out of Lane College to still be available. All three guys are rising quickly up draft boards and all three are NFL ready players with great speed and hands.

DE:

The Broncos have good depth at defensive end, they have a lot of "good" players but they don't have a "great" defensive end. And by great I mean someone that can play every down and an impact pass rusher. In a lot of Mock Drafts the Broncos choice is Charles Johnson out of Georgia. He had a great junior season last year and is very similar to pro-bowl Charles Grant. he is a bit undersized but is a very good all-around defensive end that is effective against both the run and pass. But higher prospects such as Jarvis Moss out of Florida and Victor Abiamiri out of Notre Dame could easily slip into that number 21st pick.

S:


They don't really have someone that can succeed along side Pro-Bowler, John Lynch. Domonique Foxworth could be that guy but he is more of a corner back than a safety so the Broncos will probably look at getting one this year. Now who they choose depends on how big of a need they feel this is. The could take one in any round from the 2nd to the 7th. The could look at getting someone like Aaron Rouse out of Virginia Tech in the the 3rd round or even Michael Johnson out of Arizona in say the 4th or 5th round. Another guy to look at is Josh Gattis out of Wake Forrest, he is a 4 year starter that had his best year last year and he has the potential to be very good.

DT:

The Broncos don't have any depth at defensive tackle. Gerard Warren is a good starter but besides him there is no one. The obvious round to address this need would be in the 2nd or 3rd. Someone that has his stock rising is Brandon Mebane out of California, although he doesn't have the great potential to be an impact starter he is a solid athlete with good quickness and agility, he also a sure tackler with a lot of starting experience. If the Broncos are looking for someone with tremendous upside then look no further than Antonio Johnson out of Mississippi State. He only has 2 years under his belt of top tier opponents but he has the potential to be a steal this year.

CB:

The trade for Dre' Bly helps soften the blow at least on the field of the loss of Darrent Williams but they still could use some youth at corner and someone that could take over return duties. A couple of guys to look at are Eric Wright out of UNLV in the 2nd round, Josh Wilson out of Maryland in the third round or A.J. Davis out of NC State in the 4th to 6th round.

The Denver Broncos have a very good team and if they play up to their potential they could be an 11 to 12 win type of team. They have a lot of holes to fill and if they can have a good draft then look out for the Broncos in 2007.

R.I.P. Damien Nash and Darrent Williams

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)

I asked Davey to help me out on the Team Reviews and he graciously accepted. So here is Davey's Jacksonville Team review.

2006 season : 8-8
Head Coach : Jack Del Rio
Offensive Coordinator : Mike Tice
Defensive Coordinator : Mike Smith
Pro-Bowl : Rasheen Mathis

Offense

If you try to make any sense of the 2006 season of the Jags, you will end up bleeding from your retina and muttering jibberish. The team finished 9th in the NFL in total points scored, they got to atleast 30 points in 5 of their games, yet they lost twice against Houston while scoring 7 and 10 points respectively in those games. It was inconsistency like that that led to an 8-8 record.

The big problem on offense was at quarterback. Byron Leftwich played in only 6 games before getting hurt again which meant that backup David Garrard got a lot of playing time. Garrard appeared in 11 games, totaling 1735 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In Leftwich's 6 starts, he put up 1157 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Not the type of numbers that will blow you away...

The receiving corps was also not very stellar in '06. Everyone knows that the Lions have spent various high picks on receivers during the past couple of years but Jacksonville is not far behind. The team has picked receivers in the first round in 4 out of the last 7 years. R.J. Soward in 2000, Reggie Williams in '04, Matt Jones in '05 and Marcedes Lewis in '06. Soward is arguably the biggest bust in franchise history so far.

Matt Jones lead the team last season with 643 receiving yards while Williams was the leader with 52 catches. Both guys finished with 4 touchdowns, tied for tops on the team. Again, nothing pretty with those stats.

What was pretty though was Jacksonville's running game. Maurice Jones-Drew was picked in the 2nd round of the draft and was one of the brightest rookies on offense in the league. Jones-Drew finished with 941 yards and 13 touchdowns and perfectly complementing Fred Taylor, who himself had 1146 yards and 5 touchdowns. The running game was especially electrifying in their 44-17 trashing of the Colts. Jones-Drew had 166 yards and 2 Td's, while Taylor added 131 and 1 touchdown.

Defense

Jacksonville's defense did it's best to mirror the offensive unit in terms of inconsistency. The unit had finished 4th in points allowed, had two shut-outs (Jets, Steelers), played dominating in two other games versus the Giants and Eagles, yet allowed atleast 24 points in 7 of their games.

The defense did have an excuse though, because several key players got hit with injuries and ended up missing significant time. Marcus Stroud missed 5 games, stud linebacker Mike Peterson missed 11 games and the leader in the secondary, Donovan Darius missed 6 games.

John Henderson was great again in the middle, finishing with 51 tackles and 3.5 sacks. With Stroud and Henderson, Jacksonville has arguably the best defensive tackle combo in the game. Bobby McCray also had himself a nice season, finishing with 35 tackles and 10 sacks. In the secondary, Rasheen Mathis led the way with 63 tackles and a team leading 8 interceptions on his way to a Pro-Bowl selection.

The one area where the Jags defense did not fair very well was getting pressure on the quarterback. McCray had 10 sacks and the next closest player was Henderson with his 3.5.

Special Teams

Josh Scobee had a decent year, kicking 26 out of 32 field goals with a long of 48. Scobee was 14/18 in the 40 to 49 yard range and was 0/1 in the 50+ range and I'm sure that the Jags would like to see some improvement in that.

Chris Hanson managed the punting duties and did not put up very impressive numbers. He had an average of 40.6 yards, dropped 20 inside the 20 and had a long of 58. Not surprisingly, the Jags added Tony Yelk to the roster last week, a guy who was in the Falcons camp last year.

Maurice Jones-Drew returned kick-offs and did that pretty well. Drew finished with 860 return yards, a long of 93 and 1 Td. Alvin Pearlman on the other hand didn't create as much on his punt returns. Pearlman had only 283 yards, an average of 8.8 and a long run of 29.

Draft Notes

Some people think that the Jags need to try again at landing a first round receiver that will produce but I don't agree with that. The team already brought in Dennis Northcutt and even though Northcutt won't solve the receiving problems, I would give the younger guys one more year to prove themselves instead of taking yet another receiver in the first round.

Positions that must be addressed.

Safety
CB
DB
OLB
OT

Safety:

With Deon Grant signing with the Seattle Seahawks, the Jags suddenly find themselves with a big hole at the safety position. Some mock drafts have Florida's Reggie Nelson dropping to them at # 17, but Carolina, also needing a safety could very well take Nelson at # 14. I think the Jags will consider Nelson if he's available at # 17.

CB:

Rasheen Mathis had a great season but he can't do it all by himself. Brian Williams starts opposite of Mathis but only had 1 interception during the season and beyond that there isn't much depth. Pitt's Darrell Revis would be a great fit for the Jags if they decide to go corner in the first.

DE:

Bobby McCray did finish with 10 sacks but other than that the Jags did not put much pressure on the quarterback. A guy like Georgia's Quentin Moses would be a nice fit in the second round, to add depth and eventually get a starting role on that line along side Henderson and Stroud.

OLB:

Mike Peterson missed most of the year with injury but when he's back, he will be the guy that anchors that linebacking unit. But the Jags aren't very intimidating when it comes the outside linebackers. I'm looking at a guy like Rufus Alexander from Oklahoma that could be there when the Jags pick in the 3rd round. He would add depth and challenge for a starting spot next to Peterson.

OT:

I don't have much to say here, just that I think the team would do good to add some depth on the offensive line behind starters Maurice Williams and Khalif Barners. Maybe also a center for depth behind Meester and Norman.


During the 2006 season, there wasn't a team that was more inconsistent than the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had some very impressive victories over Dallas (24-17), Pittsburgh (9-0), the Jets (41-0), the Giants (26-7), Philly (13-6) and Indianapolis (44-17). But they also had very painful losses against Houston (twice!), Washington, Buffalo and Kansas City.

Jacksonville finished 8-8 and now the question becomes if they can play consistent every week. Byron Leftwich needs to step up and carry this team and someone of the receiving corps needs to start making some plays.

The running game should be one of the league's best and the same can be said for that nasty defense. But the Jags will not make it very far if they don't have certainty under center and wide receivers that can make plays.

--Davey

New York Giants (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Tom Coughlin
Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Gilbride
Defensive Coordinator: Steve Spagnuolo
Pro-Bowl: Tiki Barber(RB), Jeremy Shockey(TE), Antonio Pierce(MLB)

Offense

The New York Giant's offense this season was very inconsistent. At times it had both a high-powered running and passing game and sometimes it would be one or the other. With all these inconsistencies, mostly with Eli Manning, the Giants offense was just mediocre as a whole, ranking 14th. The G-Men's running game was far better than their passing game, getting 134.8 yards per game(7th) and the passing game got 191.1(19th). Eli Manning took a lot of heat this season and at times rightfully so, he threw for 3,244 yards, 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Manning's quarterback rating was a sub-par 77.0, obviously the Giants aren't going to be making many playoff appearances unless he is able to right the ship. The running game was the strong point this season, with Tiki Barber rushing for 1,662 yards and 5 touchdowns and Brandon Jacobs rushing for 425 yards and 9 touchdowns. New York didn't really have a receiver this season that put up huge numbers, no one really distanced themselves as the number one option. Plaxico Burress caught only 63 balls for 988 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jeremy Shockey led the team with 66 receptions, he also had 623 yards and 7 touchdowns. Barber also contributed with 58 receptions and 465 yards. About mid-way through the season, Tiki Barber announced that that it would be his last season. He stated that he would be retiring in order to pursue other interests. So obviously this is a huge leap in the wrong direction for the Giants, they have been successfully running a duo backfield for many years, and Jacobs ability to carry the load 25+ times a game remains to be seen. They did however trade for Reuben Droughns so he could be a solid replacement for Barber or he could be a bust, we'll have to wait and see.

Defense

The defense of the New York Giants was the exact opposite of the offense, it was in the bottom third overall and and it was better against the passing game and less effective against the running game. A big reason they allowed 228.1(28th) yards per game was injuries on the defensive line. Both Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora missed significant time due to injuries, Strahan having missed more 7 games had just 38 tackles and 3 sacks and Umenyiora had 31 tackles but still was able to lead the team in sacks with 6. Rookie defensive end, Mathias Kiwanuka did have a good season with 53 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. Antonio Pierce led the team in tackles once again this year having racked up 137 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception, Pierce was selected to the Pro-Bowl. The Giants had great production from both safety positions, Gibril Wilson had 100 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions and Will Demps also had 100 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions.

Special Teams

Longtime Giant kicker, Jay Feely had his best statistical season of his career hitting 85.2% of his field goal attempts and 23-27 overall. And in return for his great season, he was released and signed by the Miami Dolphins. Jeff Feagles, on the other hand had the worst statistical season as a Giant with an average of just 40.2 per punt, only 3 touchbacks and 27 punts inside the 20 yard line. The returning duties were handled mostly by veteran runningback, Chad Morton. On punt returns he was quite bad having an average of just 9.2 and a total of 268 yards and kick returns were much better having averaged 21.6 per return and a total of 670 yards. I expect Sinorice Moss to take over the returning duties because Morton was released following the season.

Draft Notes

The New York Giants hold the 20th pick overall in this year's draft and they could go many different ways with that selection. They need a lot of help at cornerback, outside linebacker and offensive tackle and all could be upgraded by using this pick on one of them. I feel they will look to the defense side of the ball in the first round rather than the offensive line. They released Lavar Arrington and Carlos Emmons and are without replacements at the outside linebacker position so the consensus is that they will go that way. They also have needs at defensive tackle wide receiver and runningback.

Positions that must be addressed to during this year's draft.

1. Outside Linebacker
2. Cornerback
3. Offensive Tackle
4. Defensive Tackle
5. Runningback

OLB:

Having released two of their outside linebackers they have a blaring need that must be filled in either the 1st or 2nd round in April. If they go with the first round they could pick up guys like Paul Posluszny out of Penn State, Lawrence Timmons out of Florida State or Jon Beason out of Miami. Or they could wait until the second round and select someone like Stewart Bradley out of Nebraska. Either one of those guys would be an immediate upgrade and all could start immediately.

CB:

This is another need of the Giants and they may look to fill this need in the first round with a rising star, Chris Houston out of Arkansas or they could go with Marcus McCauley out of Fresno State who has likely slipped to a second round selection but he can still be a solid starter in the NFL. I really can't see them waiting till the 3rd round to draft a corner but if they do, guys like David Irons out of Auburn, Daymeion Hughes out of California and Fred Bennett out of South Carolina could all be viable options.

OT:

Having recently released starting left tackle, Luke Petitgout the Giants must find a replacement and some guys that would fill that hole nicely are Joe Staley out of Central Michigan, Arron Sears out of Tennessee and Tony Ugoh in the Arkansas could be had in the 2nd round and James Marten out of Boston College and Ryan Harris out of Notre Dame and Doug Free out of Northern Illinois could be selected in the third round. All guys have tremendous upside and are projected to be long-time starters.

DT:

I look for the Giants to start to look for a defensive tackle in the middle rounds, somewhere around the 3rd to 5th rounds. Someone that will probably still be around in the 4th or 5th round is Antonio Johnson out of Mississippi State. He is a extremely fast interior lineman with great size and lots of upside. The only knock on him is he doesn't have a lot of starts under his belt but he's one of those guys that has all the tools to be a great defensive force given the chance. Others that will still be available in the middle rounds are Marcus Thomas formally with Florida, Ola Dagunduro out of Nebraska and Joe Cohen out of Florida.

RB:

With the loss of Tiki Barber not only did he leave them with a hole to fill running the ball but also as a receiver out of the backfield. Some good receiving running backs are Brian Leonard out of Rutgers, he could be chosen in the 2nd round, Lorenzo Booker out of Florida State, Darius Walker out of Notre Dame and Tony Hunt out of Penn State.

The Giants have a good team, but they are tremendous underachievers. If Manning can play up to his potential, they can find a solid replacement for Tiki and their defense can play well I could definitely see them in the playoffs or even winning the NFC East next season.

Tennessee Titans (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher
Offensive Coordinator: Norm Chow
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Schwartz
Pro-Bowl: Vince Young(QB)

Offense

It took three games for Jeff Fisher to hand the starting quarterback job to rookie Vince Young and by Young's performance, he was three games too late. Not only did Young receive a selection to the Pro-Bowl he also was named the offensive rookie of the year. Young threw for 2,199 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and he also rushed for 552 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. Not necessarily "Pro-Bowl" worthy numbers but when you take into consideration where this team was before he took over the reins and the talent level and how they finished, then you could start to understand selection. Young was a huge reason, if not 100% of the reason why this team went from 0-5 and dead in the water to a playoff contender. Travis Henry emerged as the premiere back in the Music City, gaining 1,211 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. This had been his first 1000 yard season since 2003 with the Bills. As you could see by Young's yards, this team wasn't really a threat in the passing game. Although they had some talented receivers, they just never found a way to work them into their system, if that's a fair judgment. Drew Bennett was the Titan's leading receiver, making receptions for 737 yards and just 3 touchdowns. Brandon Jones led the team in touchdowns with 4, he also had 27 receptions for 384 yards. Obviously not the type of numbers that would strike fear in any defensive coordinators. They definitely took the term "winning ugly" to heart, because that's what they did, they played hideously and yet they found ways to win.

Defense

The Titan's defense as a whole was abysmal, ranking dead last overall in yards per game giving up 369.7. Even with such an atrocious defense, there were of course some bright spots. Long time Titan linebacker, Keith Bullock enjoyed the second best season of his career, statistically speaking. Bullock recorded 143 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Actually Tennessee had great play from all three of their linebackers, David Thornton, who was signed during the offseason, had 107 tackles and Peter Sirmon had 88 tackles, 0.5 sack, 1 interception. Also someone the Titans signed during the offseason that had a great year was Chris Hope. Hope had 121 tackles, 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown. Now onto Adam "Pacman" Jones. Aw, yes the guy that makes the Bengals' look like Gandhi. On the field, Jones was amazing, getting 62 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions and 1 touchdown. But off the field was an entirely different story. When Pacman wasn't getting arrested he was busy "makin it rain" at strip clubs and then chocking the strippers for picking up the money that he had just showered them with. Saying that they weren't "supposed to pick up the money until he gave them permission". Oh, but of course, come on people that's lesson one in "stripper's etiquette". Getting back to on the field matters, Kyle Vanden Bosch led the team in sacks once again, this year getting 6.5 along with 75 tackles.

Special Teams

Rob Bironas hit just 78.6% of his field goal attempts but all that was put aside with just one kick. A game winning 60 yarder against the Indianapolis Colts in week 12. Craig Hentrich, who had been with Tennessee for majority of his 14 year career, had a punt average of 42.7, 32 punts within the 20 yard line and 10 touchbacks. Bobby Wade had an excellent season returning kicks, getting 1,194 yards and an average of 23.9. And now this brings us back to our good ol' friend, Pacman Jones. Jones had a great season returning punts. Although he only had 440 yards, he made the most of it returning 3 punts for touchdowns. He also added 521 kick return yards.

Draft Notes

The Tennessee Titans hold the 19th pick in this year's draft and it is widely thought of that they will be taking a widereceiver with that pick. Since they lost Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade to free-agency they are without a true number one or even number two receiver. Other pressing needs are at cornerback, although Pacman Jones is quickly becoming a top corner in the NFL he has lost all the faith of his teammates and coaches meaning he may not return to the team. If he is released or traded than they will have a blaring need at an already depleted secondary. Also they really need help on their defensive line. They have absolutely no depth at either the end or the tackle position.

Positions that must be tended to during the draft.

1. WR
2. CB
3. DT
4. RB

WR:

Like I mentioned above, I like many others, believe the Titan's will select a widereceiver with their first selection. But there is some debate on who it will be. Some Mock's have them taking Dwayne Bowe of LSU, some have them taking Dwayne Jarrett of USC and some have them taking Ted Ginn Jr. Seeing as how I don't believe Ginn will still be there at 19 it's out of Bowe and Jarrett for me. Now Jarrett isn't a speed guy but he has the best hands in the draft and is being compared to another USC alum, Keyshawn Johnson. Bowe on the other hand is someone that runs pretty well, very good size and great leaping ability. I do think that the Titans are in need of someone that can both stretch the field and catch the ball, I feel Bowe can do both of these things and that is the reason I am slightly leaning towards them taking Bowe.

CB:

Whether or not they release the troubled Pacman Jones, they could use some depth at cornerback. Recently signed Nick Harper is a nice step in the right direction, but they still could use another young corner to play aside Jones/Harper and or the nickel. If they hold onto Jones then they might look to fill this need in either the 2nd or 3rd round, if they release/trade him then I wouldn't be surprised if they went with one in the first round. If they do go the first round, then they could look at Darrelle Revis out of Pittsburgh, Chris Houston out of Arkansas and Aaron Ross out of Texas.

DT:

I believe they will use their 2nd round pick on a defensive tackle because they really need help with Albert Haynesworth's future in Tennessee unclear and the fact that they just don't have depth they could look at getting the local kid, Justin Harrell out of Tennessee, DeMarcus Tyler out of N.C. State, or Quinn Pitcock. Just to name a few.

RB:

Travis Henry has moved onto Denver and even if they decide to hand the starting job over to Lendale White, the will surely look to get someone as a back up. I wouldn't expect them to look to fill this need to the middle rounds. They could look at someone like Dwayne Wright out of Fresno State who bounced back from missing pretty much the previous two season with a torn patella muscle. But he had a great season gaining 1,462 yards and 11 touchdonws. He's already married with two children and is a real "character" guy, someone the Titans probably could use right now. Also a rising star since the combine is Chris Henry out of Arizona. Before the combine he was a projected late round/free-agent type player but since running a 4.39 his stock has been soaring. He has never really been a starter and had just 165 carries last season(a career high) but in the right system and with some molding he could become a good back that could be a great tandem with White in a two back system.

I know I usually do 5 positions, but most of their needs are simply adding depth such as defensive end, offensive line, wr, s, cb, olb etc.

The Titans, I don't feel are an 8-8 team, with a now non-existent running game(unless White can come through) and no top receiver their offense will suffer this season. Their defense isn't getting any better so they could be in store for a long, long season. But then again, that's what many thought last season and they were a .500 team so with Vince Young as your quarterback, I guess anything is possible.

Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)

Before I get started, I know the Jacksonville Jaguars come before the Bengals, but I have asked Davey to do them, and I will fix the order when he's finished...now onto the Awesomeness that is the Bengals...ROAR!!!...(yeah, I don't know why I decided to do that, that's probably one of those things that sound better in my head)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Marvin Lewis
Offensive Coordinator: Bob Bratkowski
Defensive Coordinator:Chuck Bresnahan
Pro-Bowl: Carson Palmer(QB), Chad Johnson(QB) and Willie Anderson(OT)

Offense:

The Cincinnati Bengal's offense was great yet again this season. They were ranked 8th in total offense and 6th in passing yards per game. After returning from a torn ACL in the first game of the playoffs the season before, Carson Palmer looked to rebound, and rebound he did. He threw for 4,035 yards, which was a career high, he threw 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. And for those impressive numbers he put up he was rewarded with a trip to Hawaii at the season's end. Rudi Johnson continued his streak of at least 1300 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns every year, that is now at 3. He has done it in all 3 of the seasons that he has been a full-time starter. This season Rudi rushed for 1,309 yards, 12 touchdowns and he also caught 23 balls for 124 yards. Speaking of receiving, The Big Three did it again this year. Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry(when not in jail) all had big years. Chad Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,309, he also chipped in with 87 receptions and 7 touchdowns. For all that "Call Me" Chad was rewarded with another Pro-Bowl selection. T.J. Houshmandzadeh continued to prove that he is the best number two receiver in the NFL with catching 90 balls for 1,081 yards and 9 touchdowns. Chris "how do you plead" Henry proved that he was the Bengals number 1 redzone threat with catching 9 touchdowns. He also had 36 receptions and 605 yards. You can trust me when I say he would've had a lot more if he could've just stayed out of trouble. The Bengals continued to have one of the best offensive lines with stars such as Levi Jones, Willie Anderson and Eric Steinbech(now with the Browns). One of the biggest problems on offense for the Bengals is that they don't have a threat at tight end. Reggie Kelly's 21 receptions and 254 yards and 1 touchdown just aren't going to get it done.

Defense

And much like expecting the offense of Cincinnati to be great, you expect the defense of the Bengals to be bad, and bad they were. Cincy's defense ranked 30th in total yards allowed per game with allowing 355.1 total yards. Surprisingly the Bengal's run defense wasn't that bad, ranking 15th allowing 116.4 per game, not that's not great by any means but it's decent enough. Now you can go with the "at least the run game was decent" plea, but sadly you can't say the same for the Bengal's pass defense. They were tied for last place in the entire NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. They allowed 238.6 through the air and that was due to a lack-luster secondary. The secondary of Cincy is kind of confusing in a way, and by that I mean, they get a lot of tackles and they get a lot of interceptions but they can't cover a 6-year old school girl. They have some young guys that have tons of potential such as Madieu Williams and Johnathan Joseph but other than those two guys they are kind of old and not very good. Williams led the secondary with 88 tackles and he also snagged 3 interceptions. Joseph tallied 57 tackles and recovered 2 fumbles in his rookie year. Other notable secondary contributors were Kevin Kaesviharn who had a great year with 63 tackles, 4 sacks and led the team with 6 interceptions, he also was not retained and signed with the New Orleans Saints(Brian Simmons did the same), Tory James added to his amazing career total that now stands at 39 career interceptions with 4 more this season. He also had 41 tackles and 10 passes defended. The Bengals had to do without the athleticism and great pass rushing abilities of David Pollack this season. Pollack broke his neck in week 2 and was lost for the season and he may have ended his career unless he decides to try and play again. Landon Johnson led the Bengals with 112 tackles, he also added 0.5 sacks and 1 interceptions. Also having another great season was Justin Smith. He racked up 81 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. And rounding out the Bengals front seven was Caleb Miller who was forced into the starting role and shined, getting 99 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble and 1 recovered fumble.

Special Teams

Shayne Graham didn't have as good of a season as he did two years ago, but still he had a pretty good season nonetheless, hitting 83.3% of his field goals and a total of 25-30. Kyle Larson also had a pretty good season with an punt average of 44.5, 11 touchbacks and 26 punts that landed inside the 20 yard line. On the other had, punt returns were a problem with Keiwan Ratliff getting the majority of them. He had a abysmal average of 6.5 per return and 176 yards. Glenn Holt shouldered majority of the load when Chris Perry went down with an injury(again) and he had a very nice average of 24.6 yards per kick return and 419 total yards.

Draft Notes

The Bengals have some significant needs, most of which are on the defensive side of the ball. For instance, we could really upgrade all facets of the secondary, meaning a safety and a cornerback. Then we could definitely use some help at defensive tackle, although our run defense wasn't as bad as it was in recent years, but it is still isn't good by any means. A solid pass catcher at Tight End is something that we haven't had, maybe ever and it is really becoming more and more important to offenses these days. And finally we could really use some depth on our offensive line. With the loss of the versatile Eric Steinbech, it really leaves a hole that must be filled in order to sustain a top tier running attack.

Positions that must be addressed during the draft.

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Safety
3. Cornerback
4. Tight End
5. Offensive Line

DT:

Like I said, defensive tackle is probably the number one need for us going into the draft. Sam Adams and John Thornton are just not getting the job done and Domata Peko may not be the answer either. Although this is our biggest need we probably won't address the need until the 2nd round or even the middle rounds. If I had it my way we would somehow land the second best DT in the draft, and that is Amobi Okoye. But unless we trade up to somewhere around #11-#13, we won't get him. So that would leave us with going after someone in the middle rounds, someone to look out for is Ryan McBean of Oklahoma State, he is a guy with great potential, but he is one of those "Huge Stars or Big Busts", but he may be worth the risk. Another guy to look at is Antonio Johnson. Johnson went to Mississippi State for two years and although he didn't have stellar numbers he has tremendous potential and is could really be a steal for the team that chooses him.

S:

The Bengals do have a need at safety, that much is clear. Madieu Williams is a great young star but other than him, there is just no one left. Dexter Jackson is a short term fill and Kevin Kaesviharn has left so they literally have no depth at either safety position. I would absolutely love the idea of Cincy getting Micheal Griffin with their 18th overall pick. He is probably the second or third safety in this years draft(depending on who you ask). Griffin has had 4 very good seasons at Texas including 124 and 126 tackle seasons the past two years. He has great speed, he's very tough and physical and would go along way in improving both the pass and the rush defense for the Bengals immediately. If we don't take him(I pray we do) then we could look at someone like Brandon Meriweather out of Miami or Aaron Rouse out of Virginia Tech in the 2nd round. Both are very good and should turn out to be very good pros but neither one are at the level Griffin is.

CB:

In all likely hood we will be taking a cornerback in the first round if we decide to pass on Griffin. Now who that would be really depends on who is available. With the recent trade of Willis McGahee the Bill are probably looking at taking Marshawn Lynch with the 12th pick, and that could mean that the #1 overall cornerback, Leon Hall, could fall to the Bengals and if he does they could find it hard to not pick him. He is a great cover corner that is technically sound in a facets of the game and has a great understanding of the game, and can shut down most receivers. There is a possibility that he could play both corner and safety and if that holds up that he could fill two holes that Cincy has immensely. Other possibilities are Eric Wright(UNLV), David Irons(AUB) and Tarrell Brown(TEX).

TE:

Although on paper, this group of tight ends doesn't look all that great, it does have a couple of standout stars and a couple of guys that I feel have a lot of upside. Obviously Greg Olsen of Miami, really distanced himself as the top tier tight end at the combine and added to his great stock that he already had by running a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and is a top 15 pick this year. Zach Miller out of Arizona State is also another tight end with lots of talent and will most likely go in the 2nd round. But someone I am really high on right now is Ben Patrick of Delaware. He is a 6'4" 250 pound tight end from a little school who can do big things given the chance in the NFL. He has good size, great athlete with very soft hands and is an excellent route runner. Given the chance he could prove to be an absolute "GEM" of the draft, i'm talking Pro-Bowl type player in a few short years.

OL:

After losing Steinbech to free agency the Bengals have a glaring need at right guard. Someone that could thrive in the Bengals system is Josh Beekman out of Boston College. He is has good size and gets a great push in the run game. He is very much fundamentally sound and has very good strength and awareness. HE really has great instincts and intangibles, all the things that teams look for in a long-time starter in the NFL. I also like Manuel Ramirez out of Texas Tech. He is probably the strongest player in the draft, benching over 550 pounds and he would do wonders for Cincinnati's running game, the only knock on him is he isn't really all that athletic. From the tackle position, i'm really high on Tony Ugoh out of Arkansas. He's 6'5" 301 pounds and is extremely athletic and versatile. He has great quickness and is very strong. He could probably play both guard and tackle, with that ability he reminds me a lot of Steinbech. he could pack on some weight though.

I see no reason whatsoever why the Cincinnati Bengals can't return to the playoffs this coming year. If they can avoid getting into trouble(CHRIS!!!) and stay healthy then they should be just fine. I see them winning the AFC North and winning around 12-14 games.

Green Bay Packers (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Mike McCathy
Offensive Coordinator: Joe Philbin
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Sanders
Pro-Bowl: Donald Driver (WR) and Aaron Kampman (DE).

Offense

The Green Bay packers were one of those up and coming teams due in part to their offense. Brett Favre snapped back from a miserable season last year when he threw a career high 29 interceptions. This year Favre threw for 3,885 yards, 18 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions. Although they aren't stellar numbers they were significantly better than last year. The Packers only real problem on offense was their mediocre running game. Ahman Green bounced back from an injury plagued 2005 season and started 14 games. He rushed for 1,059 yards and 5 touchdowns. Donald Driver had another great season, making 92 receptions for 1,295 yards and 8 touchdowns and capped it off by being selected to the Pro-Bowl. Another key target emerged this season in the form of rookie wide receiver, Greg Jennings. Jennings caught 45 balls for 632 yards and 3 touchdowns. With more playing time, Greg Jennings could become something very special in Green Bay. Besides Driver and Jennings the Packers had absolutely no one else in the passing game. The next highest player in receptions was Ahman Green who had 46 receptions for 373 and 1 touchdown. Bubba Franks continued his recent trend of being useless, catching only 25 balls and for the first time in his career, 0 touchdowns. Obviously they are in dire need of another receiver to help out Favre and the Packers.

Defense

The Packer's defense was very good this season, ranking 12th overall. Most of the great stats the defense put up last year was due to their 1st round pick last season, A.J. Hawk. Hawk led the team in tackles with 119. In addition to his tackles, he recorded 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. Nick Barnett continued his excellence in once again racking up 100 tackles which he has done in each of his 5 seasons in the league. He also had 2 sacks, and also picked off the ball twice. Green Bay's lone Pro-Bowl selection, Aaron Kampman had an amazing season. Kampan had 89 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and a staggering 15.5 sacks. Also bouncing back from a disappointing 2005 season was cornerback Charles Woodson. Woodson played in just 6 games in what turned out to be his last season in Oakland and in his first season with the Packers, Woodson tallied 59 tackles, 12 passes defended and tied for the NFC lead with 8 interceptions(Which is a career high).

Special Teams

The Green Bay Packer's special teams was a bit of a problem this past season. Dave Rayner only hit 74% of his field goals ranking 29th among kickers. But on the bright side he did score a lot of points, 109 but then again that was due to the Packers lack of red-zone scoring. Their Punter, Jon Ryan was pretty good this season, his average per punt was 44.5 which ranked 9th overall and he also had 12 touchbacks. Returning the ball proved to be a bit of hassle, especially with kick returns. The Packers had 9 different guys attempt to return kicks before setteling on Vernand Morency who ended the season with 670 yards. Charles Woodson wanted to return punts and the Packers granted him his wish and he didn't do too bad, ranking 17th in average with 8.9.

Draft Notes

Although Green Bay was a playoff contending team last season, they have a lot of needs that need to be filled during the draft. The number one glaring need for the Pack is runningback. Even before Ahman Green left for free-agency rumors were flying around that they were looking to replace him. Well now Green has signed with the Houston Texans they will most likely address that need with their 16th overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. The consensus is that they will take runningback Marshawn Lynch out of California and I have to agree. Lynch is very fast and has surprising strength. He can also catch out the back field which the Packers tend to do a lot.

Positions that must be atteded to during the Draft.

1. Runningback
2. Wide Receiver
3. Safety
4. Cornerback
5. Defensive Tackle

RB:

Like I just mentioned, their former starting runningback, Ahman Green has signed on with the Houston Texans leaving behind a huge hole that the Packers must fill. I really feel that they will use their first pick(16th overall) on Marshawn Lynch(CAL). Lynch compares favorably to last years stand out rookie runningback, Laurence Maroney in the sense that he is also a big play threat with good size, strength and speed.

WR:

Another desperate need for Green Bay's offense is the wide receiver position. They have no depth with Koren Robinson not being able to stay out of trouble and Robert Ferguson not being able to stay healthy. That leaves them with two very good receivers and a few very bad ones. I could really see them looking for receiver help in the 3rd round. Someone like Jason Hill(WSU) would be a great addition and he is quickly rising up the draft boards after running a 4.32 in the 4o yard dash during the combine. Other include: Johnnie Lee Higgins(UTEP), Craig Davis(LSU) and Paul Williams(FRESNO).

S:

Nick Collins has proved that he can be a serviceable safety but Marquand Manuel is more of a back up than anything else. If someone like Aaron Rouse out of Virginia Tech or Eric Weedle out of Utah is available in the second round the Packers could go for them. If neither are there(which at least one of them should be) then the Packers could look to Jesse Daniels(LSU), Brandon Sharp(LOU) or Gerald Alexander(BOISE) in the later rounds.

CB:

Much like their receiver dilemma the Packers have two very good corners in Charles Woodson and Al Harris but beyond them two their is no depth. I could easily see them picking up two corners in the draft this year. Some potentials are Tim Mixon(CAL), John Talley(DUKE) and C.J. Wilson(BAY) to name a few.

DT:

Ryan Pickett and Cullen Jenkins are fine, but neither are really studs that can stuff the run. A couple of big guys that could stop the run are Paul Soliai(UTAH), Stanley Doughtry(SCAR) and Joe Cohen(FLA). Also don't look past Marcus Thomas who is slipping on a lot boards but he has all the potential in the world to be a top tier defensive tackle if he can sort out his character issues.

Green Bay was one of those teams that eeked out wins and and their record was better that the team actually was. But if they can get Lynch, add some solid depth at both receiver and defensive back they could make some noise much like they did this year in the NFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Bill Cowher(retired)
Offensive Coordinator: Ken Whisenhunt(joined another team)
Defensive Coordinator: Dick LeBeau
Pro-Bowl: Alan Faneca(OG), Willie Parker(RB), Casey Hampton(DT) and Troy Polamalu(S)

Offense

Everybody knows what Ben Roethlisberger went through last off-season, with nearly losing his life in a motorcycle accident, then his emergency appendectomy. He was just wasn't the same this year and he struggled. Big Ben threw for 3,513 yards, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. Another big question coming into last season was the running game. The Steelers had relied on Jerome Bettis for short yardage and goal line attempts but with the "Bus" retiring before the start of the season, a lot of people had their doubts whether or not Willie Parker would be able to be an every down type of player. Well, Parker proved that he could, rushing for 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pittsburgh didn't necessarily have great depth at wide receiver and it showed, with Hines Ward, their leading receiver, had just 74 receptions for 975 yards and 6 touchdowns. Santonio Holmes did have a pretty good season, grabbing 49 receptions for 824 yards and 2 touchdowns. Overall their offense was very good, ranking in the top 10 in every major statical category but the amount of turnovers they had really hurt this team.

Defense

The Steeler's defense was in the top 10 once again this year. They were great against the run, but just average against the pass. James Farrior led them in tackles with 126. He also had 4 sacks and 1 interception. Troy Polamalu had a Pro-Bowl season with 76 tackles, led the team with 3 interceptions and 7 passes defended. Joey Porter didn't have a lot of tackles with just 55, but he led the team with 7 sacks and added 2 interceptions. If there is a weakness on the Steelers defense it would have to be the secondary. If you look at the stats, you'll notice that majority of their cornerbacks have tallied a lot of tackles, that is because they aren't great coverage corners therefore a lot of receptions are made on them. Ike Taylor led all corners with 69 tackles and also had a career high 2 interceptions, Bryant McFadden had 54 tackles and 3 interceptions, Tyrone Carter had 42 tackles and Deshea Townsend rounded it out with 41 tackles and 2 interceptions. They have talented corners, but they don't always play up to their potential and besides Taylor, their isn't really another playmaker.

Special Teams

Jeff Reed didn't have that good of a season hitting just 74.1% of his field goal attempts. He finished the season ranking 30th and i'm sure looks to improve that next season. Much like his counterpart, Chris Gardocki also ranked 30th in punting average with 41.3. I should mention that although he is at the bottom of the league, he is consistent with his averages, he has had an average of less than 42 in four of the last five years. Santonio Holmes did a great job this year retuning punts, with an average of 10.2 and 1 touchdown return, that was good enough to rank 10th. On the other hand, Najeh Davenport didn't do to well in his 21 kick returns, averaging just 21.5 ranking 32nd. I would just let Holmes do kick returns too or let Willie Reid do it, just my opinion of course.

Draft Notes

As good as their defense is, they could definitely use some upgrades at some positions. Defensive End seems to be the position they would most like to use their 15th overall pick on. Other places they could look to upgrade defensively are Cornerback, Linebacker and maybe a safety to play opposite to Troy Polamalu. On the offensive side of the ball they could really use an upgrade on their offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 46 times last season, obviously that must change if the Steelers hope to return to the playoffs next season. They could look to get a short yardage guy like they had with Bettis and someone that can help rejuvenate their "gadget plays" which they were so good with when they had Antwan Randel El.

Positions that they must address during this year's draft.

1. Defensive End
2. Offensive Line
3. Cornerback
4. Linebacker
5. Running Back

DE:

The Steelers would love to upgrade the defensive end position in their great 3-4 defense. Aaron Smith and and Brett Keisel are fine but someone like Adam Carriker out of Nebraska would be a great improvement. The only other person I can see them taking instead of Carriker in the first round is Jarvis Moss out of Florida. But I personally might prefer Carriker just because of his his great size and he is extremely strong but Moss is faster and can play both the end and outside linebacker.

OL:

Their offensive line needs improvement, mostly the center position because of Justin Hartwig announcing he is retiring, they also could use some help at the right guard and right tackle spot. The Steeler's would love to get someone like Ryan Kalil(USC) in the second round. He is a center and is quickly rising up many draft boards because of how well he did at last week's combine. Some tackles that they could steal in the later rounds are Gabe Hall(TEX TH), Ken Shackleford(UGA) and Stephon Heyer out of Maryland.

CB:

Like I mentioned earlier, they have a good group of guys, but they are horribly inconsistent and besides Ike Taylor they really lack a ball hawk, someone that can force turnovers. They could go many different routes with cornerback, they could look to get someone in the second round if Kalil is gone(which he most likely will) or they can wait till the 3rd or 4th round to address this need. Someone I think has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best cornerback in this whole draft is Tarrell Brown(TEX). Guys like Fred Bennett(SCAR), David Irons(UGA) and Ryan Smith(FLA) could all help and could be had in the 2nd to 4th round.

LB:

They don't really have a glaring need here, because the guys that they have are still good, but they are all getting older and it could be a smart move for the Steelers to start building their future at Linebacker soon. Tim Shaw of Penn State is a rising prospect he was the fastest of all the outside linebackers and he has a chance to be very special. Quincy Black(UNM) is another guy who could be very good. H.B. Blades(PITT), Anthony Waters(CLEM) and Justin Warren(TEX A&M) are guys that could all flourish in Pitt's 3-4 as inside linebackers.

RB:

If they do decide to add depth at runningback they should go for a power guy that can punch it in from a yard out and someone who can pick up short first downs. Some guys that fit that mold are Tony Hunt out of Penn State, Nate Ilaoa from Hawaii and DeShawn Wynn out of Florida.

If it wasn't for Ben Roethlisberger's turnovers and the inability of the offensive line to protect him, the Steelers would have been in the Playoffs defending their title. But instead they were sitting at home. With minor adjustments in the draft I don't see why Pittsburgh won't be in the Playoffs once again.

Carolina Panthers (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: John Fox
Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Davidson
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Trgovac
Pro-Bowl: Steve Smith (WR), Julius Peppers (DE), Kris Jenkins (DT)

Offense

The Carolina Panthers offense was down this season. Jake Delhomme took a huge step back missing 3 games and only throwing for 2,805 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A lot of people had the Panthers as the Super Bowl favorites but with a lack luster running game and and sub par passing game, not to mention injuries on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, the Panthers were just mediocre overall. Although the passing game wasn't very good, Steve Smith had a great season once again despite missing the first two games of the season. He caught 83 balls for 1,166 yards and 8 touchdowns. Keyshawn Johnson also didn't have that bad of a season with 70 receptions for 815 yards and 4 touchdowns. The running game at times was good but for the most part neither DeShaun Foster nor DeAngelo Williams distanced themselves as starters. Foster missed two games but received the bulk of the attempts, he rushed for 897 yards and 3 touchdowns. Williams had 501 yards and just 1 touchdown. Williams also had 33 receptions for 313 yards and 1 touchdown.

Defense

Carolina's defense this year was very good once again. They did have some trouble at times stopping the run, but overall they ranked in the top 10 in every major defensive category. Julius Peppers was great, and was in the running for defensive player of the year. Peppers had 57 tackles, 13 sacks and forced 3 fumbles while recovering 2. Although they were good overall they had a lot of problems at the linebacker position. Chris Draft rejuvenated his career with leading the Panthers in tackles, he had 107 tackles and 5.5 sacks but Draft isn't really a long-term fix. Also Thomas Davis had a good sophomore season getting 88 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Mike Minter was better than he was the past two years, but still hasn't gotten back to the type of player he was back in 03' and 04'. Minter had 83 tackles, 1 interception and 6 passes defended. Rookie corner back, Richard Marshall had a great season, getting 82 tackles and leading the team in both interceptions(3 and 1 touchdown) and passes defended(11).Kris Jenkins was finally able to do something he hasn't done in 2 years, play a whole season. Jenkins played in a total of 5 games the past two season but this year he played in all 16 and made 41 tackles along with 3 sacks.

Special Teams

John Kasay had by far the best season of his 16 year career. Kasay hit 89% of his field goals. Also having his best season was punter, Jason Baker had an average of 45.7, 31 punts inside the 20 and 12 touch backs. All of them were career highs for Baker. Now returning the ball was a different story. The Panthers couldn't find one set person to return kicks, they had a total of 8 different players returning kicks and punts this season. The best was probably rookie DeAngelo Williams who had 623 yards.

Draft Notes

The Panthers hold the 14th overall pick in this years draft. Now there are a lot of different ways they Panthers could look to use the pick. The biggest need for the Panthers is by far the linebacker position, but the problem is their isn't anyone that they could take that early in the draft. They are going to need a safety to replace Shaun Williams and they also could really use some help at defensive tackle. I think Carolina could also look to get more weapons for their passing game. Possibly adding another receiver and an impact tight end. With Jake Delhomme having a less than spectacular season the Panthers could also look to get another back up, Chris Weinke isn't good enough to play European football much less in the NFL.

Positions that must be addressed during the draft.

1. Linebacker
2. Safety
3. Defensive Tackle
4. Tight End
5. Wide Receiver

LB:

Their biggest need is at linebacker, but they won't be able to address this need until at least the second round. Their isn't a linebacker this year that is a top 15 pick like last season, Lawrence Timmons was projected to be one, but he had a very bad combine that will surely drop him to the later 1st round or even the second round. Some guys they could go after in the second round are Buster Davis(FSU), David Harris(MICH) and Brandon Siler(FLA).

S:

Safety is another need for Carolina, they will likely go for either LaRon Landry out of LSU or Reggie Nelson out of Florida with their first round pick. It depends which one is still their and if both are for some reason, I would select Landry if I was them. They also could get some good safeties in the later rounds if they decide to go another way, some guys they could choose are Aaron Rouse(VT), Brandon Meriweather(MIA), and Eric Weddle(UTAH), all of them are possible 2nd round picks.

DT:

If they don't choose a safety with the 14th overall pick then I expect them to choose a defensive tackle. The most obvious choice for them would be Amobi Okoye from Louisville. They also could look for someone to fill that whole in the later rounds, someone like Quinn Pitcock(OSU), Ray McDonald(FLA) who could play outside or inside and Brandon Mebane(CAL).

TE:

They haven't really had a play maker at tight end in quite some time and although tight end isn't necessarily deep this year, their are some people that have impressed me. I am really like Ben Patrick from Delaware, Michael Allan from Whitworth and Daniel Coats from B.Y.U. All of these guys could be steals in the late first day or early second day of the draft.

WR:

Besides Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson, there isn't much depth at Wide Receiver. Drew Carter isn't bad but they lack a fourth receiver. I like them to go after Brandon Myles(WVU), David Clowney(VT), Rhema McKnight(ND) or Steve Breaston(MICH). David Clowney had a great combine running a 4.36 in the forty and he could be rising up the draft boards to a 3rd to 4th round pick.

The Panthers have a great team and should return to the playoffs next year. If Delhomme can play better, they can get some consistency on offense then they could be another Super Bowl favorite like this year.

St. Louis Rams (8-8)

2006 season: 8-8
Head Coach: Scott Linehan
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Olson
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Haslett
Pro-Bowl: Torry Holt(WR), Marc Bulger(QB) and Steven Jackson(RB)

Offense

The Ram's offense is led by one of the most explosive trio's in a long time. With the most underrated quarterback, Marc Bulger, the beast at running back, Steven Jackson and the best route runner in the game, Torry Holt. Jackson had a great season rushing for 1,528 yards and 13 touchdowns, he also caught 90 balls for 806 yards and 3 touchdowns. Marc Bulger had by far his best season of his career throwing for over 4300 yards, 24 touchdowns and just 8 interception. Holt had once again a very impressive season, grabbing 93 receptions for 1,188 yards and 10 touchdowns. Also Isaac Bruce had a very quite 1,000 receiving yard season. The only real problem with the Ram's offense was the offensive line, they couldn't stay healthy. They lost Pro-Bowler Orlando Pace and Andy McCollum. If the O-Line can stay healthy for the entire season the offense could be even more potent next year.

Defense

St. Louis had a very deceptive defense, overall they ranked around the middle due to their very good pass defense but they ranked 2nd to last in rush defense. Obviously their problems with the run continued in 2006, they gave up 145.4 per game. To go along with their horrible run defense, they allowed close to 24 points per game, ranking 28th. Individually Will Witherspoon had a nice season, leading the team with 113 tackles, he also had 3 sacks. Leonard Little tallied his second highest sack total of his career with 13 sacks. Cory Chavous wasn't bad in his first season with the Rams, making a career high, 86, 1 sack and 1 interception. Rookie, Victor Adeyanju showed some promise at defensive end, but I don't think his 34 tackles and 1 sack are going to be enough for him to stay as a starter.

Special Teams

In my opinion the Rams have the worst special teams in the NFL. They are horrible at kick return, they aren't good at returning kicks themselves. But they do have a very good veteran kicker in Jeff Wilkins. Wilkins hit 86% of his field goals. Matt Turk was right in the middle of the rankings, with a punt average of 43.5, he also had 26 punts inside the 20 yard line but he was really bad at getting touch backs, with only 5. Returning game was abysmal, with Willie Ponder, who is a good return man, only getting 605 yards and Shaun McDonald only getting 172 punt return yards.

Draft Notes

Defense, defense, defense. They need help on their defensive line, both outside and inside. Ever since Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis left, they have struggled to fill the need in the interior. Also they could definitely use another pass rusher to compliment Leonard Little. But with those two positions aside another major need is an outside linebacker. Brandon Chillar was just not effective. The Rams might also look to pick up another receiver in the mid to late rounds because Kevin Curtis is going to be leaving for free-agency.

Positions that must be filled during the draft.

1. Outside Linebacker
2. Defensive Tackle
3. Defensive End
4. Wide Receiver
5. Running back(back up)

OLB:

This position has been one of the biggest weakness for the Rams for many years. They could possibly use their 13th overall pick on Florida State's very talented OLB, Lawrence Timmons. If they decide to go with the defensive line with this pick then they will likely look to get a linebacker in say the 2nd or 3rd round. KaMichael Hall(GT), Tim Shaw(PSU) and Juwan Simpson(ALA) could all be viable picks in the 2nd or the 3rd rounds.

DT:

In a perfect world, the Rams are hoping that Amobi Okoye will still be available at 13. I don't think he will, but there is still a possibility. If he isn't there then they will take Timmons and use their 2nd round pick on a defensive tackle. Some guys to look at in the 2nd round are Quinn Pitcock(OSU), DeMarcus Tyler(NCST) and Brandon Mebane(CAL).

DE:

Other than Little, the Rams struggled to pressure the QB. Victor Adeyanju showed some promise but he only had 1 sack. Someone like Charles Johnson out of Auburn would be great, but he is projected to go within the first few picks of the 2nd round, meaning the Rams would have to either trade up or go a different route. Dan Bazuin out of Central Michigan has been one of the best pass rushers for the past two years and he could really help out with his good speed and quickness of the snap.

WR:

With Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald leaving for free-agency the Rams are going to need someone to fill the slot position and someone who can help with the return game. Chansi Stuckey of Clemson would be a great fit. He is extremely fast and is the top return man in this draft. Or they could get someone like David Clowney(VT) or Yamon Figurs(KSU) to help in both the receiving and return game.

RB:

Obviously they don't need someone who can start, but St.Louis has no depth at running back. Someone who could come in and give Steven Jackson a break every so often would do wonders to help the offense for the Rams. Also someone who could help in the return game at the same time would be ideal. I see someone like Garrett Wolfe(NIU), Danny Ware(UGA) or Ramonce Taylor(TEX CO) would all help fill that need.

The Rams are one of those "teetering" teams. They have all the talent in the world on offense to be a playoff contender but their defense really drags them down. They are the type of team that can easily win the division and just as easily come in last place.

Buffalo Bills (7-9)

2006 season: 7-9
Head Coach: Dick Jauron
Offensive Coordinator: Steve Fairchild
Defensive Coordinator: Perry Fewell
Pro-Bowl: Aaron Schobel (DE) and Brian Moorman (P)

Offense

As a whole the Bills offense was pretty bad, they ranked in the bottom third in all categories and struggled mightily with injuries. Willis McGahee continued to be hampered by injuries and missed two games. Even with missing two games, he still failed to reach 1,000 yards for the first time since becoming a full-time starter. "Whatcha talkin bout" Willis McGahee gained 990 yards,6 touchdowns and for the second straight year, an average of just 3.8 yards per carry. There was some good news, J.P. Losman finally showed the Bills and their fans that he can indeed be a starter in the NFL. He passed for over 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He should improve more this off season which i'm sure will make alot of people happy in Buffalo. Lee Evans was great this season, he made 82 receptions for 1,292 yards and 8 touchdowns. But besides Evans, there really wasn't much depth, sure Peerless Price played decent in his return to Buffalo, but he only had 402 yards and 49 receptions, which in my opinion are #3 receiver numbers. That's really their problem, they have a great #1 receiver and a bunch of #3 and 4's. They could really use another receiver.

Defense

Buffalo was horrible against the run this year, ranking 28th while giving up 141 yards per game. On the other hand, they were very good at defending the pass, ranking 7th in the NFL. They gave up just 188.7 per game. The Bill's defensive backs all had great season starting with rookie, Donte Whitner. Whitner racked up 104 tackles, 1 interception and 4 passes defended. Then came Terrence McGee who had 76 tackles and 11 passes defended. At the other Safety position, rookie Ko Simpson had a great start to his career with 76 tackles as well, 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 2 passes defended. And finally the soon to be free agent, Nate Clements, who had 70 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1 touchdown. London Fletcher had a very impressive season, making 146 tackles, leading the team with 4 interceptions, 2 sacks and 1 touchdown. And I can't forget to mention the Pro-Bowler, Aaron Schobel, he had 53 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and he recorded 14 sacks.

Special Teams

The Bills had great special teams this season. Their long time kicker, Rian Lindell hit 92% of his field goals, a total of 23-25. And Pro-Bowler, Brian Moorman had an average of 43.6 per punt, but had 7 touchbacks and 33 punts inside the 2o yard line. Terrence McGee was amazing on kick returns, getting close to 1400 yards, and an average of over 26 per return. And Roscoe Parrish did a great job on punt returns, with over 364 yards, an average of 11.4 per return and 1 touchdown.

Draft Notes

It looks like Nate Clements is content on test the free-agent market, so they Bills will likely take a corner back with their 12th overall pick. They may take Leon Hall, who is thought by many to be the best overall corner back in the draft this year. If for some reason, they decide to go another way, possibly defensive tackle help, they would love to take Amobi Okoye if he is available. They really would love to upgrade the right tackle position, which is currently being held by rookie Terrence Pennington. The Bills also need to find someone that can stop the run at middle linebacker, London Fletcher is an unrestricted free-agent this year, so they could look for a replacement. They might also look to add some depth at wide receiver or tight end.

Positions that must be attended to during the draft.

1. Corner back
2. Offensive Tackle
3. Defensive Tackle
4. Middle Linebacker
5. Tight End/Wide Receiver

CB:

With Nate Clements seemingly leaving for free agency I can assure you the Bills will be looking to get his replacement early in the first day. I think they will take their 12th overall pick and select Leon Hall out of Michigan. Hall is a big, strong CB, that has great understanding of the game and he can create turnovers.

OT:

They would like to upgrade their right tackle spot in this draft. They did put rookie Terrence Pennington there this year, but they weren't really that impressed. Doug Free(NIU), Ryan Harris(ND) and Brandon Frye(VT) could all be available in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.

DT:

One of the biggest problems with the Bill's defense, was their run defense or lack there of. They could look at getting a defensive tackle anywhere from the first round all the way to the fourth. That leaves them with a wide variety of players they could take. If they go for one in the first, then it will be Amobi Okoye out of Louisville if available, if they go to the second round, it could be someone like Quinn Pitcock(OSU), if they go the third round then it could be someone like Brandon Mebane(Cal) or if they decide to wait till the fourth round, they could still find someone like Marcus Thomas(FLA) or Jay Alford(PSU) still hanging around.

MLB:

London Fletcher is an unrestricted free agent this year, and the Bills don't have anyone that replace him on their roster. A couple of players that could play very well in their system are H.B. Blades(PITT), Anthony Waters(CLEM), who missed the whole year last season due to a torn ACL and Justin Warren(TEX A&M) could all help fill that hole and help stop the run.

TE/WR:

The reason I have a slash here, is because they have a need for both, but there might be too many receivers taken by the 4th or later rounds, which is probably where Buffalo would start to look at them. And Robert Royal who is currently their starter at tight end isn't really that great. So they could look at getting a tight end instead and looking at getting a veteran receiver in free agency, someone like Donte' Stallworth.

Alot of people have the Bills as a 9-10 win team, although I think they have a pretty good team, I don't see them winning 10 games or even 9. They will likely be at best 8-8 in my opinion.

San Francisco 49ers (7-9)

2006 season: 7-9
Head Coach: Mike Nolan
Offensive Coordinator: Norv Turner
Defensive Coordinator: Greg Manusky
Pro-Bowl: Frank Gore(RB)

Offense

The biggest downfall of San Francisco's offense was their passing game. But this year it wasn't so much the quarterback's fault like last year, but the lack of a #1 receiver. They did have a very strong running game this season with the emergence of Pro-Bowler Frank Gore. Although he had been banged up for majority of the season, Gore was still able to rush for close to 1,700 yards and he scored 8 touchdowns. He also showed that he is a weapon catching the ball, he led the team in catches with 61 and came in third in receiving yards with 485. Alex Smith bounced back from a horrible rookie season, he threw for 2,890 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. From the wide receiver standpoint, this was one of the weakest positions on the 49er's offense. Any time your leading receiver has just 61 catches and is a running back, you're going to have a bit of a problem. Antonio showed glimpses of being a number one option, but he missed 3 games and only caught 40 balls, he did lead the team with 733 yards tied for the team lead with 3 touchdowns. Rookie tight end, Vernon Davis missed 8 games with a broken leg, but still had 20 receptions for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. With a full season he should really start to distance himself as a premiere tight end in the NFC.

Defense

San Francisco's definitely didn't have the type of defense that would scare opponents. They were below average stopping the run, ranking 19th, allowing over 120 ppg and their pass defense was the 6th worst in all of football. Biggest problem was the lack of a solid corner back and an impact nose tackle to go along with the 3-4 defense that they run. Linebacker, Brandon Moore led the team in tackles with 92, not only was it the team high, it was a career high for him. He also led the team with 6.5 sacks. The 49er's defense has alot of aging players like Bryant Young, Derek Smith and Walt Harris. Although all of those guys had good years, their time in the NFL could be winding down, so it would be wise for San Fran to look at getting replacements in the near future. Speaking of Harris, he tied for second in the NFL with 8 interceptions. From the safety position, Keith Lewis exploded on the scene, finally getting the chance to start, he recorded 76 tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions.

Special Teams

Joe Nedney was very good once again, hitting 83% of his field goals and kicked all of his extra points(29). Andy Lee had a great year punting the ball, with an average of 44.8 and 9 touch backs. He was ranked the seventh best punter in the NFL. Also having another great year was Maurice Hicks on kick returns. He had 1,428 yards for an average of 25.1. Brandon Williams took over punt return duties and he didn't do to well, averaging just 6.7 yards.

Draft Notes

Like I said, they are desperately in need of #1 receiver, the best guy to fill that need is Dwayne Jarrett. He is big, strong, excellent route runner and in my opinion he has the best hands in the whole draft. The only knock against him is his speed, but his strengths will cover that one weakness, look for him to be a huge end zone threat. The niners could also go after Ted Ginn Jr. if they want to go with speed, someone that can stretch the field. If they decide to go the defensive route when it comes to their #11 pick, they could go for someone like Amobi Okoye who would help their interior line or they could go with Adam Carricker who can play defensive end and defensive tackle.

Positions that must be addressed during this year's draft.

1. Wide Receiver
2. Defensive Tackle
3. Corner Back
4. Linebacker
5. Center

WR:

They have got to take Dwayne Jarrett(USC) or Ted Ginn Jr.(OSU) with the 11th pick. I would prefer Jarrett over Ginn, but both are going to be great. It's the biggest problem that their offense had. Without a number one receiver, it put alot of pressure on Gore to rush for 130 yards a game and alot of pressure on Alex Smith, with Jarrett it would lessen the work load for Gore, meaning he would be healthier and potentially have an even better season.

DT:

San Francisco runs a 3-4 defense, and running that defense means they have to have a big nose tackle that can stop the run. Marques Douglas had a great year, but he is very small when it comes to defensive tackles, he could even possibly think of a switch to the end position. In the best case scenario, the Niners would take DeMarcus Tyler in the second round, it is unlikely that he will slip to the 42nd pick, but you never know. If Tyler isn't there in the second round, they will probably go a different route, maybe defensive back.

CB:

Shawntae Spencer really impressed alot of people this year, as did Walt Harris but Harris is nearing the end of his career and besides the two of them, there isn't alot of depth at corner back. If Tyler isn't available in the second round, it is very likely they will take a corner back. Potential picks for them are Chris Houston(ARK), Marcus McCauley(FRESNO) or Tanard Jackson(SYR).

LB:

Because of the great play from Brandon Moore and rookie Manny Lawson they have more of a need at inside linebacker, than outside linebacker.
They don't really need someone that would need to step in immediately because Derek Smith and Jeff Ulbrich have a couple more years. They could look at getting Buster Davis(FSU), Brandon Siler(FLA) or H.B. Blades(PITT).

C:

Tony Wragge only started 4 games at center this year, and niners allowed 35 sacks. They could add some depth on the line, starting with center. Dan Mozes(WVU), Enoka Lucas(ORE) or Dustin Fry(CLEM) could all be nice pick ups for the Bay area.

San Francisco is really one of the up and coming teams, after Gore and Smith showed that they could succeed as starters they really started to click, and with a couple more additions in the off season they could be looking at playoff aspirations very soon.

Atlanta Falcons (7-9)

2006 Season: 7-9
Head Coach: Jim Mora Jr.(fired)
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Knapp(fired)
Defensive Coordinator: Ed Donatell(Fired)
Pro-Bowl: DeAngelo Hall(CB) and Alge Crumpler(TE)

Offense

Talk about an up and down offense. The Falcons ranked #1 in rush ypg with 183.7 and they ranked dead last in pass ypg with just 148.2. Michael Vick started the season great but he fizzled mid way through the season and seemingly killed any hope for the Falcons to make the playoffs. Even though he did post the worst completion percentage of his career as a starter, he still managed to have his best overall season. Vick threw for 2,474 yards, 20 tds and 13 ints, Vick also became the first quarterback to ever rush for 1,000 yards(1039). Warrick Dunn also rushed for 1,000 yards and chipped in with 4TDs. Jerious Norwood completed the Falcons triple threat, he rushed for over 600 yards and 2 TDs in his rookie season. One of the biggest weakness of Atlanta is their receiving core, although Alge Crumpler made it to the Pro-Bowl, he had just 56 receptions and an impressive 8 touchdowns, which both led the team. Michael Jenkins had a disappointing season with only catching 39 passes for just 436 yards and 7 tds. Obviously the biggest need is a WR that can actually catch the ball, I don't have the exact statistic if front of me, but i'm sure the Falcons led the NFL in dropped passes.

Defense

Atlanta's defense was much like the offense in a sense, they could stop the run, but couldn't defend the pass. This mostly was because of the lack of another corner back playing well to compliment DeAngelo Hall, who made the Pro-Bowl with 58 tackles and 4 interceptions. They had great play from their linebackers, Keith Brooking had 136 tackles 2.5 sacks, Demorrio Williams had 90 tackles and 1 sack and Michael Boley racked up 85 tackles and 3 sacks in his sophomore season. A big weakness in the secondary is safety. They have Lawyer Milloy, who had a great season making 98 tackles and 2 sacks but Milloy isn't getting any younger and he could retire in a year or two. So they desperately need a replacement for Chris Crocker who had a significantly worse season than his good 2005 season.

Special Teams

Atlanta was one of the many teams that had to go through multiple kickers before settling on one. It was till Morten Andersen came out of retirement that Falcons had a steady kicking game. Andersen hit 87% of his FG attempts, that was his best season since 1985. Punting the ball is a totally different story, Matt Koenen had an average of 42.1, that ranked 26th overall. Allen Rossum once again, took over both kick returns and punt returns. On kick returns he averaged 23.5 and surpassed 1,000 yards, that was good enough to rank him number 20 in the league, punt return wasn't as good, he averaged just 7.8 ypr.

Draft Notes

Their biggest need lies on defense. They are likely to take a safety with the 10th overall pick, either LaRon Landry of LSU or Reggie Nelson of Florida. They would like to replace Chris Crocker and then work on a replacement for Lawyer Milloy most likely next off season. The Falcons would also like another defensive tackle. Besides Grady Jackson getting older and Jordan Babineaux the only really "depth" they have at DT, expect them to go after one in the 2nd round. Also, wide receiver remains an issue for Atlanta, expect them to address that need this year because of the great WR class this year. They also might look to add depth at their O-line.

Positions that must be addressed during the draft.

1. Safety
2. Defensive Tackle
3. Wide Receiver
4. Offensive line
5. Corner Back

S:

It's basically a coin flip between who Atlanta will take. It's out of LaRon Landry(LSU) and Reggie Nelson(FLA). Landry is the better of the two in my opinion, he is a great tackler that has great size and excellent instincts for the game. But he lacks in speed which may be the only reason the Falcons don't take him. Nelson is a great athlete with good speed and a nose for the ball. He is also a big hitter and is great against the run, but he doesn't have alot of experience at the D-1, he spent the first two years of his college career at a junior college.

DT:

Atlanta needs depth here and also someone that can start. I think the more talented DTs will have been long gone, but there is always one that slips into the second round. That guy could be Quinn Pitcock(OSU). I have mentioned him before as being extremely strong, good speed and a solid tackler, also great against the run. All things the Falcons are looking for. They could also be tempted to take someone like Ray McDonald, who is a defensive end, but is versatile enough to play well at defensive tackle.

WR:

They have plenty of speed at wide receiver, but what they don't have is someone with great hands. That should be their goal to get in the 3rd or later rounds, someone with great speed and soft hands. Dallas Baker(FLA), who is great in the red zone and has great hands. Another player that would be a perfect fit is Joel Filani out of Texas Tech. He caught 91 balls, 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.

OL:

Not a huge need here, they would just like to add depth in case of injury. They will probably end up taking at least two guys on the offensive line. Maybe Kasey Studdard(TEX), Ken Shackleford(UGA) or Stephon Heyer out of Maryland.

CB:

Again, not a big need here, more or less a 3rd or 4th type guy here. Maybe someone in the later rounds, possibly second day they would go after someone at corner. Kenny Scott(GT), John Talley(DUKE) and C.J.Wilson(BAY) would be good in the ATL.

The Falcons should be a playoff team, possibly a division winner. The NFC South is likely to be one of the most competitive so they will have a tough time, but they have a very talented team, hopefully Bobby Petrino can get them playing good football like they did at the beginning of the season. Also I should mention, Jerrious Norwood is going to be the starter in 2007, the Falcons loved the way he played this year.

Miami Dolphins(6-10)

This latest review comes courtesy of Davey. I had been asking him for a couple of days to write one, because it's his favorite team and I felt it would be better for him to write the review.

2006 season: 6-10
Head Coach: Nick Saban (Has since moved on to Alabama)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Mularkey
Defensive Coordinator: Dom Capers
Pro-Bowl: Jason Taylor (Defensive End), Zach Thomas (Linebacker)
Awards: Jason Taylor (Defensive Player of the Year)

Offense

The 2006 offensive unit was statistically one of the worst in Dolphins history. The team averaged 16.3 points-per-game, which was the lowest since 1967, the franchise's second year of existence.

At the start of the season, the offense was expected to do big things but as you know, a combination of injuries, sub-par play and bad play-calling led to a very disappointing season. Daunte Culpepper wasn't healthy enough to play and the fact that he was put into the line-up too soon, doomed the team from the get go. The offensive line was inconsistent and also had to deal with various injuries and guys like Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael just didn't play up to their standards. Sprinkle in Mike Mularkey's play-calling, and you get the

But with all the bad comes the good and there definitively was some good coming from this unit. Ronnie Brown missed 3 games due to injury but still managed to surpass 1000 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry while showing that he was well worth the 2nd overall pick in 2005.
In his absence, Sammie Morris also showed that he was capable of running the ball, and should Ricky Williams come back next year, the running game should be loaded.

Wes Welker also had a nice year, leading the team with 67 receptions and Marty Booker also had a decent year, leading the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, Vernon Carey also stepped up and started to show why he was a first round pick a few years ago and should be the foundation of this line for some years to come.

Defense

Miami is known for a hard-hitting, swarming defense and this season was no different. Dom Capers came in with his 3-4 schemes and players like Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor absolutely thrived. Thomas finished with 164 tackles and 3 sacks, while did just about everything possible in way to a dominant season and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The defense as a unit finished 4th overall, allowing just 288 yards-per-game and 17.7 pp/g. In 2005, the unit finished ranked 17th overall, thus showing how well they performed in Capers' new schemes.

The defense does have it's question marks though. The fact remains that it's an aging unit and they need to get younger, especially on the defensive line. First round pick Jason Allen also didn't contribute as much as expected mostly because he held out and missed a big part of training camp. Hopefully Allen can work hard this off-season, get familiar with the defense and what is expected from him, and start showing why Miami used the 16th overall pick oh him.

Special Teams

Donnie Jones had himself a solid season, averaging 42.8 yards on his punts and getting 28 down inside the 20. Wes Welker was good returning kicks, getting 378 yards on punt returns and getting 1064 yards on kick-off returns, with an average of 22.2 yards.
Olindo Mare was less than stellar in the field-goal department this year. He was 26 out of 36 on his kicks while missing 3 in the 40-49 range and 5 in the 50+ range. Some of those misses came in key situations that really hurt the team and I for one am not that confident when I see Olindo line up for a kick anymore.

Draft Notes

Miami will be picking 9th overall this year and most projections have them taking a defensive lineman but now some others are predicting that Brady Quinn will be the pick if he's available. I'm not a big Brady Quinn fan so I'm hoping that this scenario won't play itself out. But odds are that Quinn will already be off the board by then and that coach Cameron will have to figure out if he's going to go with Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon or maybe a free-agent like Jeff Garcia.

Positions that must be filled with the draft

1. Defensive tackle
2. Offensive tackle
3. Linebacker
4. Defensive end
5. Cornerback
6. Wide Receiver

DT:

Keith Traylor, Jeff Zgonina and Vonnie Holiday aren't getting any younger, so getting a stud defensive tackle in the first round would be very nice. Michigan's Alan Branch will probably be gone by then, but Louisville's Amobi Okoye would be a great fit. Miami still has young guys like Fred Evans, Kevin Vickerson and Rod Wright on the depth chart, so they could have a nice core on the defensive line to build on.

Offensive Tackle:

Vernon Carey finally started playing like we expected him to, but Damion McIntosh was downright horrible on the other side of the line. If Miami doesn't take a DT in the first round, offensive tackle could be the other position they look at with their first pick. Wisconsin's Joe Thomas will probably be gone, but someone like Penn State's Levi Brown could be a good pick.

Linebacker:

Zach Thomas and Channing Crowder are great, but next to those two, there isn't that much depth. Georgia's Tony Taylor and Florida's Earl Everett might be two guys that could fit nicely along with Thomas, Crowder and Derrick Pope.

Defensive end:

Jason Taylor is as good as they come but Kevin Carter is old. I have high hopes for Matt Roth but another defensive end should be added. Some early projections have Miami taking Arkansas defensive end Jamaal Anderson but if he's taken, Clemson's Gaines Adams could also be the pick here.

Cornerback:

Will Allen has one starting corner spot locked up, but I'd rather see Travis Daniels as the nickel back and someone else come in and challenge Andre Goodman for the other starting spot. I hold on to the dream that Miami can somehow pick up Nate Clements in free agency but I don't see it happening. Daymeion Hughes could be someone to get, or Ryan Smith from Florida.

Wide-Receiver:

This all depends if Wes Welker gets resigned. With Welker on board, Miami has Chambers, Booker, Welker, Derek Hagan and also Marcus Vick who could compete for some playing time. If Welker leaves, then they could look for another receiver in later rounds.

The one big question for this team remains the quarterback position. Will Cam Cameron stick with Culpepper, will C-Pep be ready to go? Will he give Harrington a shot or maybe Cleo Lemon?. This will be the biggest factor that decides if the team will be successful in '07 or not.

The offensive line should only get better under Hudson Houck and if Ricky Williams comes back to help Ronnie Brown share the load at running back, the running game should also be beyond good. The fact that Cam Cameron will be handling the offense now should also improve things a whole lot.

There's a new, offensive minded coach in place, there's one of the league's best defenses and a good running game. With a quarterback that can run the show, this is a team that challenge for the AFC East crown. Without a quarterback, it's likely to be a disappointing repeat of last season.

--Davey

Houston Texans(6-10)

2006 Season: 6-10
Head Coach: Gary Kubiak
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Sherman
Defensive Coordinator: Richard Smith
Pro-Bowl: Andre Johnson(WR)

Offense

The Texans ranked in the lower third in the league once again in all major categories. Their passing game ranked 27th this year only gaining 173.6 yards per game, and their running game was slightly better, ranking 21st, but they still only averaged 105 yards per game. Houston had some-what of a "running back by committee" before Ron Dayne emerged as the full-time starter late in the season. Dayne rushed for 612 yards and 5 touchdowns while just starting 6 games. The projected starter, rookie Wali Lundy was benched after just starting 8 games because he was very ineffective, just gaining 476 yards and 4 touchdowns. Their passing game was worse, David Carr threw for just 2,767 yards, 11 TDs and 12 interceptions. Their are alot of rumors surfacing that the Texans are ready to trade the former 1st overall pick before the draft. Really only two players can actually say they had a good season. The 1st was former Miami standout, Andre Johnson who had 103 receptions, 1147 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also was selected to his first pro-bowl. The 2nd player was rookie Owen Daniels. Daniels caught 34 balls for 352 yards. Nothing special, but he quickly emerged as a red-zone threat with 5 TDs.

Defense

Much like their offense, Houston's defense ranked in the bottom third in all major statistical categories. But they did have standouts, such as defensive rookie of the year, DeMeco Ryans. Ryans recorded 155 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 5 passes defended. Morlon Greenwood also surpassed the 100 tackle platue for the 3rd consecutive season. 1st overall pick, Mario Williams had a decent year. He certainly didn't have a season that the first player taken in the draft would have, but I won't get into that discussion. Williams had 47 tackles and came in second on the team with 4.5 sacks. He also pitched in with 1 fumble recovery. One of the biggest problems for their defense was the lack of interceptions, the Texans had just 11 as a team, but Dunta Robinson did tie for the team lead with 2. Yes, he led the team with just 2 INTs. Robinson aslo tallied 82 tackles. That is quite high for a cornerback, it means either he is great against the run or he can't cover guys too well, i'll let you decide.

Special Teams

Houston's special teams were bad in all facets of the game. Kris Brown had is 4th straight mediocre season hitting just 76% of his FGs, Chris Stanley was one of the worst punters this year with an average of 41.6 and Dexter Wynn was decent in the return game with a punt average of 11.6(but only 139 yards) and a kick return average of 22.3(just 670 yards).

Draft Notes

The Texans could really use a playmaker at running back. The obvious choice to fill that need would be Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. If he is still there at #8 then there is no doubt who they would take. They also need a safety. C.C. Brown is fine but the Texans need an upgrade there. Other positions, offensive line, preferably left tackle, also defensive tackle and cornerback should be looked at. Also a possibility is a quarterback change.

Positions that need to be addressed during the draft.

1. Running back
2. Safety
3. Offensive line
4. Defensive tackle
5. Quarterback

RB:

They really need a #1 back. With passing up on Reggie Bush last year the Texans have still failed to fill that need. Wali Lundy, Ron Dayne and Samkon Gado are not going to scare too many teams. If they decide to go another way with the 8th pick, they could look at getting Kenny Irons(AUB) who's stock is raising with an exceptional showing at the NCAA Skills Competition last week. Or they could look at Dwayne Wright(FRES) or Gary Russell(MIN).

S:

If they don't go with Peterson in the first round for whatever reason, then they will most likely go after one of the talented safeties, either LaRon Landry(LSU) or Reggie Nelson(FLA). They could also look at getting Michael Griffin(TEX), Eric Weedle(UTAH) or Brandon Meriweather(MIA) in the second round.

OL:

One the biggest needs is left tackle. Everyone knows the importance of having a left tackle if your starting quarterback is right handed, but yet the Texans haven't been able to full fill that need. They could look at getting Levi Brown(PSU), Joe Staley(CMICH) or Arron Sears(TENN) would all help dramatically.

DT:

Houston has recently switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense, meaning they have elected to go with 2 DT's to hopefully slow down the other teams rushing attack. That is fine, if you have at least two DTs that can compete, which the Texans don't have. So they need to find a big body in the draft that can fill their need. Possible players for them to look at are Marcus Thomas(FLA), Jay Alford(PSU) or Derek Landri(ND).

QB:

It seems very likely that the Texans are willing to trade David Carr. But they would need a replacement, they could look at getting a short term player in free-agency such as Jeff Garcia or Matt Schaub(ATL is likely to re-sign him). But they could look at the draft as well. If Cleveland takes Adrian Peterson than Brady Quinn is going to drop, that would clear way for Houston to take Brady Quinn in the first round. If they decide not to take the fore mentioned Quinn then they will likely wait till the 2nd day to take a QB, if they take one at all. Possible 2nd day picks would be Luke Getsy(AKRON), Jared Zabransky(BOISE) and Drew Tate(IOWA).

I would be extremely surprised if the Texans are able to turn this franchise around any time soon, but if they are smart and take Peterson he could easily help them to a possible 7 to 8 win season.